


Come To Light

by InsideMyBrain



Category: A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket
Genre: Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Photography, Possibly Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon, University, business student jerome, photography student jacques
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:07:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25867912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsideMyBrain/pseuds/InsideMyBrain
Summary: Helping Jacques develop pictures is a learning experience for Jerome.
Relationships: Jacques Snicket/Jerome Squalor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Come To Light

**Author's Note:**

> I literally wrote this like 3 years ago and never posted it anywhere. so im doing it now!
> 
> I wrote this before season 2 of the show came out so if the characterization is different from the show, that's why.
> 
> hope you enjoy!

Since he'd begun helping Jacques with his photography (exactly eight days ago), Jerome had learned a few things about being in the darkroom. 

Number one was that it really was incredibly dark. The room was specifically designed so no ambient light was reflected, so he could not help being startled every time he walked inside. He would often trip or stumble - as he did now - struggling to readjust. Jacques, however, never reacted as such. He'd mentioned to Jerome before that he'd been interested in photography nearly his whole life, so Jerome assumed he merely had more experience with this sort of thing.

As Jerome stumbled, he felt Jacques place a hand on his arm to steady him. Jacques chuckled, and the door clicked shut. Jerome could see his friend's kind, affectionate smile in his mind's eye, the smile he rarely gave others but offered to Jerome so easily. 

Jacques flipped on the special light, and the room was bathed in red. Jerome blinked a few times.

"Better?" Jacques asked.

"Better," Jerome confirmed, though he still squinted. 

Jacques moved toward the table in the middle of the room, fiddling with the canister in his hands as he did so. The lid popped open as he reached the table, and he began pulling the film strips out. "I hope they turn out well," he said examining them. "It's due quite soon, and to tell the truth, I'm anxious."

"I'm sure they'll be great," Jerome reassured him. 

"You're just saying that because you're in them," Jacques teased, grinning slyly. 

Jerome laughed. "Maybe so."

"But really, thank you for agreeing to be my model," he said, his expression shifting from playful to earnest. "I just hope you're not too swamped with finals studying."

Jerome waved his hand dismissively. "I can take a break from studying macroeconomics to help my friend with a portrait study. Now let's get developing!"

Jacques nodded, moving to switch on the enlarger. Jerome watched him set it up, testing if the timer and the lights worked. 

Number two was that, in the red light, you could only look at one thing at a time. It did something strange to Jerome's vision - it rippled and distorted the edges, sometimes making him see yellow spots, and sometimes blacking out entire areas of vision. If he focused on one thing at a time he could ignore it, but often it got to him and made him so dizzy he had to sit down. Now, he looked at Jacques' face of concentration as he set up the machine, finding it very easy to focus on. His features were classically handsome - strong eyebrows, a prominent nose, and a smooth jaw. As Jerome looked, his eyesight began to fizzle, forming a black halo around Jacques' head.

"Jerome? You alright?"

"Huh?" Jerome blinked, realizing Jacques was looking at him in concern. 

"Everything okay?" He was holding a piece of photo paper that appeared a glossy pink in the red light. 

"Of course." Jerome shook his head slightly to clear it. "Do you need any help?"

"Yes, actually." Jacques handed him the photo paper. "Could you cut this into an eight by ten piece? I need ten in that size."

"Sure thing," Jerome said, taking the paper.

On the table in the middle was a paper cutter and a black lightproof bag, in which was more photo paper. Jerome began measuring and cutting, stacking the pieces where Jacques could easily reach from the enlarger. Jacques used the papers as soon as Jerome was done cutting them, so the whole thing went very efficiently. Jacques hummed as he worked, and Jerome smiled to hear it. There was something so trusting about humming softly in front of another, and Jerome suddenly felt intensely content. Jacques' humming reminded him of a cat's purr - low and steady and comforting.

"Done," Jacques announced, interrupting his humming just as Jerome was beginning to place the tune. He turned off the enlarger and collected the papers, walking over to the sinks. "Now for the developer." He opened some bottles, and Jerome wrinkled his nose when the smell hit him, then took a step back - after a close call in high school chemistry, he was a little nervous around acids and chemicals. Jacques diluted the substance with water before pouring it into a small dish, then did the same to two other types of chemicals. He glanced at his wristwatch, squinting in the dimness.

"Here, use mine," Jerome offered quickly, unstrapping it from his wrist before Jacques could object. "It's the newest model - it glows in the dark."

Jacques took it from him, peering at the face. "How does it work?"

"A special paint called undark," Jerome told him eagerly. "Really innovative product."

"Maybe you should convince your father to invest," Jacques said, placing the papers in the dish and agitating it gently.

"Maybe I will," Jerome replied.

The two friends fell silent for a few minutes, Jacques checking the watch often and sometimes moving the papers to the next chemical dish. After they were done soaking in the chemicals, Jacques placed the papers into a pool of water. He stepped back to stand beside Jerome as they waited for any chemical residue to wash off, standing quite close to him even though it was not a small room. Jerome could smell his cologne, an earthy, comforting scent.

Number three was that being cloaked in the warm darkness had the same effect on Jerome as a soft blanket: it made him sleepy. As he and Jacques waited, he found his eyes drooping and his head nodding, and struggled to stay awake. It would be such an embarrassment to fall asleep here, and especially standing up. He'd fallen asleep while standing only once before, after a ten-hour flight on which there was a particularly loud baby. He had been waiting for his luggage at the airport, and had dozed off before he spotted his suitcase. He'd woken up, evidently much later, drool drying on his face and being shaken by a security guard. Passers-by had snickered at him as he drowsily collected his bearings and walked off with his luggage, his cheeks burning in shame. He didn't want Jacques to even get a glimpse of his distorted, drooling sleep face.

Jerome's friendship with Jacques was a peculiar one, because he always felt like he needed to impress Jacques. Not that he felt self-conscious around him - quite the opposite, in fact. Jacques made him feel more confident and comfortable, especially in conversations that had a possibility of escalating. No, he never second-guessed himself around Jacques; instead the second-guessing came after they parted. He'd lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, replaying bits of their conversation in his head and over-analyzing every word. He told himself the reason for this was that this was the most intimate friendship he'd made with a peer, ever since he'd enrolled in the City's most prestigious university two years ago, and he wanted to hold onto it. He wanted to hold on so tight and never let go.

"Jerome?" Jacques whispered softly. 

Jerome's eyes flew open in a panic. He'd apparently dozed off for a few minutes and had, without thinking, rested his head on Jacques' shoulder. "Sorry," he said quickly, straightening up and clearing his throat.

"It's all right," said Jacques. He smiled. "The pictures are clean now, let's take a look at them."

"Sure," said Jerome, watching Jacques collect the pictures from the pool of water. He placed them on another dish and led the way to the door. The two friends stepped first into the pitch-black antechamber, then out into the bright hallway.

Jerome blinked a few times, readjusting to normal lighting. Jacques was peering into the dish, examining the photos, and Jerome joined him.

"Oh, I like these!" Jerome said happily, picking one up to look at it. The lighting fell on his face in a way that perfectly framed all his best features, and his profile was sharp. Jacques had caught him mid-laugh, which usually he didn't like in pictures but worked wonderfully in this one. "Are you happy with them?"

Jacques nodded, smiling. "I couldn't be happier. They turned out so well."

Jerome picked up another one and examined it. In this one he looked professional, his suit jacket buttoned and face serious, with a trace of a smirk lingering about his lips. "Can I have a copy of this?" He asked excitedly. "I want to put it on my business card."

"Of course," said Jacques. "What's the business card for, 'The Handsomest Man In The City'?" They laughed.

There were a few things Jerome had learned outside of the darkroom as well. He'd learned that when Jacques said things like that, which was often, his cheeks coloured of their own accord. He'd learned when Jacques so much as brushed his hand against Jerome's, small thrills ran up and down his arms like ghost spiders. He'd learned that, after a particularly captivating time spend with Jacques, the man would appear in Jerome's dreams that night. He'd learned Jacques' favourite colour and what he liked on his pizza and his fear of life passing him by, and that he remembered these things so easily but forgot his own birthday. He'd learned a thousand things about Jacques and how he felt about them and somewhere, he'd learned something about himself, too.

But there were lessons burned into Jerome's brain, things he'd learned long before he heard the name Snicket. He'd learned them from his sneering father, from schoolyard taunts, from books and films and people in the street. So he vehemently denied rumours and lied to himself that he loved Jacques like a brother. It was better, he thought, to be safe in a lie than vulnerable in the truth.

When they'd finished looking at the pictures, they headed back into the darkroom to tidy up. Jacques safely disposed of the chemicals and Jerome put all the photo paper back into the bag and put away the paper cutter. They left the darkroom once more and bid goodbye to each other in the hallway, Jacques promising to give Jerome the picture he liked soon. Then they parted, and in spite of himself, Jerome was already anticipating the next time they'd meet.

**Author's Note:**

> [come find me on tumblr, if u want :)](https://kitlington.tumblr.com)


End file.
